Diablo III is an incredible game, and it’s done remarkably well commercially too. Success! That success, however, is in spite of some of Blizzard’s silly decisions with the game – not least of which was the one to make the entire single player online only. They’ve now put some bizarre restrictions on new digitally purchased versions of the game.
Starting with the new patch – which seems to have added the terrible bug of making the game fun – those who buy the game online will be stuck with the “Starter Edition,” fancy marketing speak for “trial version”…for up to three days after purchase. That not only restricts how far you can proceed in the game, but also who you’re able to play with until Blizzard decides you’re a legit player. Here are the restriction imposed by the Starter Edition:
- Act I up to the Skeleton King is available
- Level 13 cap
- Matchmaking available only with other Starter Edition players
- No Auction House access (Real Money or Gold)
- Global Play is not available. Players attempting to connect to Diablo III Starter Edition in a region other than their Battle.net Account’s home region will receive Error 12.
It’s an odd decision – but one that Blizzard says is to combat against fraud; probably the sort perpetuated by sneaky Asian goldfarmers. Wasn’t that one of the reasons the game’s online-only in the first place? Activated versions of the game purchased in retail stores will function normally (and are actually a tad cheaper) – so if you plan on snuggling up to some demons on this icy weekend, you’re better off visiting an actual store first.
Still…making people wait up to 72 hours to properly play a game they’ve bought doesn’t sit well with me.
Last Updated: June 22, 2012
